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Turned On	By : blackwaltz0 Category: +M through R > Phantasy Star Views: 2172 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Phantasy Star, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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For a long time after that night Chaz avoided Wren for as long and as often as he could, silently assisting in combat whenever he was needed and offering only a minimal amount of communication, consisting of one word answers and noncommittal grunts. He was not avoiding Wren because he was angry or overly afraid of him, although there was a small part of Chaz that definitely did feel those emotions. It was simply because he wasn't certain how he could deal with the situation, just as he couldn't deal with his situation involving Rika.

After all, Wren had kissed him. He had kissed him like he was an unclaimed girl at a county fair, a kiss that had been sweet and innocent, but not hesitant. It was almost like he had been waiting for an opportunity to do that to him, but of course that was absolutely preposterous, wasn't it? Chaz thought it was, but he still couldn't rid the strange hot/cold sensation that he had felt that night completely out of his head. The only thoughts that pushed that memory away were thoughts of Rika and what she meant to him, but that was an entirely different snake's nest altogether. The confusion about Wren would always subside, but then the ache of lovesickness would sink into his mind all over again. It was like he had to choose between two different pains before the both of them drove him mad.

Worried confusion to him always seemed better than the aches of unrequited love. At least it took his mind off the numan girl and allowed him to function again at a semi-normal state, except for his coldness towards Wren that the others easily noticed and a new nervous habit that he now bore, surfacing whenever he was brooding or in deep thought.

Rika observed it at times when he was on sentry duty or passing time in the ice digger, that he would sometimes reached his hand up to his mouth and brush his fingertips over his lips briefly, a motion that seemed to be entirely unconscious to him. He was obsessing over something, a thought that was bothering him deep inside. Rika was all ready to go over there and coax it out of him, with her claws if need be, but there was something about him that seemed to suggest that he wasn't thinking about her, not at all.

As for Wren, if he took any notice to Chaz's strange behavior and the cold shoulder that he was giving him, he chose not to show it. He fought in their party just as he always did, accepted Rune and Kyra's navigation as he drove them across Dezoris as he always did, and let Chaz have whatever space that he wanted. He had a large responsibility on his shoulders by being the team's pilot and vanguard, he couldn't let Chaz take any more of his attention than he currently held. Wren had tried to help the youth previously, personally, but all he seemed to have done was make matters worse. Even an individual as selectively emotional as Wren could see that as plain as day.

It had been the first selfish thought he had had in his head for countless years and the first thing he had done with it was to further mess up the psyche of an innocent boy, their unofficial leader. Should he not feel shame for that? He did, cold shame, invisible shame. Unlike Chaz, he was the master of deception and nobody at all noticed his feeling of regret. He was almost good enough to fool himself. So while Rika and the others worried about Chaz, Wren worried about himself and the wedge that he might or might not have driven straight into the heart of his party, of his leader.

Garuberk stood in the heartland of Dezoris like a gnarled throbbing finger, slightly curled and pointing cruelly towards the sky. It was surrounded by a forest of flesh-and-blood trees that fed on meat and bone, thrashing and howling across the snowfields for sustenance. They had pulled Kyra, the esper girl from its branches before she could be consumed and later on learnt from the fifth incarnation of Lutz that a holy torch was needed to burn away at the blighted forest so that they could reach the tower. The revelation of the Lutz had been a shock to all, especially Chaz and Kyra, but since then the hunter had found other things to occupy his time.

Recently the holy torch that they required had been stolen out from under their noses, by creatures that had recognised Rune personally for the magician that he had been two thousand years ago. Their destination now lay in deep space where their base was, a castle that had been salvaged from an ancient time and place. The Air Castle. That was where they were to have their next great battle. Even Rune, who knew the place well seemed to be a little unsure. Nervousness was infectious and they were all afraid up to a certain degree.

The Landale docked skillfully on the lone asteroid, the largest one on Algo's belt of Palma. There was a cleared section of empty space that was almost like a runway, as if the malevolent creatures lurking upon the asteroid were trying to make their coming as comfortable as possible. This was further illustrated when they disembarked from their spaceship, sending Wren out first as a lone scout. The android would not be killed by a lack of atmosphere and was heavy enough to withstand low gravity and not float away. It was actually the ideal job for him. Wren stepped out of the airlock and walked down the extended ramp towards the ground. He looked about cautiously, his gun raised in the chances of a sudden ambush, then jumped slightly to test the asteroid's gravity field.

Satisfied, he climbed the ramp back to the hull of the ship and activated an intercom system that would broadcast his voice to his friends waiting anxiously inside the ship. He leant his gun carefully against the hull after placing the safety back on again, certain that the exterior of the asteroid was clear. It was the inside that they had to be worried about. "Gravity is normal and there is a breathable atmosphere." Wren said calmly into the speaker, then added; "this is clearly an artificial condition." But of course. There was no way that an asteroid could develop a perfectly oxygenated environment by itself.

The airlock opened a second time and their resident pink-haired numan was the first one to brave the atmosphere of the new world, leaping out of the ship and over the ramp like she expected invisible hands to catch her in midair and gently set her down on the ground. Even though those hands didn't come for her she still landed with an incredible amount of grace, unmatched by any gymnast. Kyra came second, a hand over her mouth and nose, this being her first time in space and she expected the exploded remains of Palma to smell like sulfur and brimstone. She chanced a quick breath, closing her eyes, then sighed in relief when everything turned out to be normal.

Rune came third with a set look and a bitter gleam in his eyes, hardly believing that he was back here again, and after so long. Everything looked so different now, so haunted. What kind of ghosts would they encounter in there? He had a feeling that he already knew. Rune clicked the end of his silver stave against the surface of the metal ramp and followed the path that Rika and Kyra had taken, down to the true atmosphere of the planet.

Chaz was their leader and so he dutifully exited the Landale last, his sword at his hip and his clouded spirit temporarily clear. Whatever problems he had he needed to set aside for just a little while, or else he would risk putting his friends and comrades in danger. Still, he stole a quick sideways glance at Wren who was standing beside the open airlock, waiting to close it once everybody else had exited the ship. He looked completely unconcerned, untroubled, as if the thought that he and his friends might die today had never once entered his mind. It must be bliss, Chaz thought, never having to care about anything at all.

"I guess they must be expecting us, huh." He said lowly as he passed Wren by, joining up with the others. There was no telling how long they would be trapped on this asteroid, it could be any length of time between mere hours and days. They had provisions on the ship to last them for about a week, but that was considering that they had the ability to come back to the ship at all. Chaz could see three uncertain faces waiting for him at the end of the ramp. No matter what, they had to get that torch back as soon as possible. The airlock of the ship closed and the small party of adventurers left their vehicle, moving towards the large fortification ahead.

The Air Castle. It was constructed of aging yellow stone hung badly bleached against the inky backdrop of space, its large arched doors held slightly ajar, just enough for Chaz and his company to squeeze on through. It was fortunate that the doors were already open, because it would have taken a team of giants to budge them by any normal means. Inside the castle the room was highlighted with stones that were a light to dark purple in colour, bearing the hue, if not the texture of amethyst, or a violet rose quartz. Deep holes in the floor were square-cut and inside bubbled the hot earthy smell of molten lava, remnants of when Palma had been destroyed.

To slip and fall into one of those deep red pools would be instant death. The entrance chamber was as huge as a cathedral and Kyra stared at the pits warily, keeping closely to the strip of floor that ran solidly between the lack of pews. Chaz was walking beside Rune with his hand on the hilt of his sword, and although he was walking with the male esper his eyes were on Rika, who was bold enough to take the point position of their party. The girl seemed to be in good spirits despite the dangerous environment they were in. "I was hoping that this place was going to have low gravity." She admitted cheerily to everyone. "I always wanted to know what it would be like to be utterly weightless."

Wren sped up from his spot at the rear and walked at Rika's side. He smiled at her fondly, and Chaz realised with an odd feeling in his gut that the only person that Wren would ever truly smile for was Rika. Nobody else. "The Landale has a gravity control meter for the ship's inner field. When we vacate from this place I would be more than happy to activate it for you. That is, if extenuating circumstances do not force me to focus entirely on piloting." Chaz envied the way that the android could talk so easily to her. If only he could do the same.

She was about to gratefully nod to him her appreciation when something important caught the corner of her eye and she turned, whirling back towards the path with her body tense. Wren read her movements within a second and raised his gun as fast as he could, the safety coming off with a quiet little click. Chaz, Rune and Kyra didn't know or couldn't yet see what had startled her but they had functioned as a team long enough to trust her. A sword was unsheathed, a staff raised high and a pair of laconia slashers glinted in the light of Algo, streaming through the shadowy windows of the Air Castle.

"What is it?" Chaz breathed, holding his long sword carefully out in front of his body in the same way that Alys had taught him, years ago. "What can you see? Ri-" Before he even had a chance to finish her name the numan suddenly wasn't there anymore, she had run off like a shot, sprinting down the path all the way to the other side of the hallway. Smoke from the pits of lava slightly screened her retreating figure from them and the rising heat created ripples in the air, causing the world to shimmer.

"Hey!" Rune cried, thoughtlessly extending a hand out to her. He of all people knew how dangerous this place really was. If Rika got too far away from them they might not be able to protect her. The magician turned at the heel to the others and blazed at them, his fine voice loud and commanding. "Follow her! Now!" The others really couldn't do anything else but obey, running after Rune who was leading the charge, his pale blue cloak surging out behind him.

Chaz felt Kyra roughly grab his wrist and yank him forwards as she began to run, dragging him along as if he was unable to do so by himself. That annoyed him slightly, but that annoyance was offset by the fact that if she hadn't grabbed him Chaz would have still been standing there, staring like a blithering idiot. Wren was already long gone to them, only two paces behind and to the side of Rune. If they were running into danger Rika was probably going to get them all killed.

It was not a battle, although when the four of them finally noticed what the numan had seen they were more than prepared for combat. They found Rika standing before the three strange creatures that had stolen the eclipse torch, leaning forward a little inquisitively, a battle the last thing on her mind. She heard the others come to a stop behind her and didn't turn around, unable to take her eyes off what she was seeing. "These things, I ran straight up and took a slash at them but they didn't even flinch. My claws went straight through them as if they were made of air. Is this an illusion?"

Rika must have had the eyes of a hawk to be able to spot those monsters from so far away. Chaz pulled his sword arm out of Kyra's grip and moved closer for a better look, his own eyes catching the way that the monsters were flickering and resonating at a barely noticeable level. Tentatively Chaz reached his hand out in preparation to touch the illusion, half expecting somebody to speak up and stop him, to grab and pull his hand away just like a parent guides their child's hands away from a hot stove. Nobody stopped him, did not even bother to try and Chaz felt a fragment of aggravation for them, like they didn't care enough for him to stop him from possibly hurting himself.

His hand went straight through the projected image of the creatures with no resistance at all for about three or four inches, then Chaz was stopped immediately by what felt like an invisible glass wall. It was as thick as it was tall, encompassing the entire illusion, blocking their way to the big arched door that stood behind them. Chaz withdrew his hand and looked at it, noting that he had felt a strange tingling sensation when it was in the middle of the projection. It had felt like magic. "It's a barrier." He informed his team. "We can't get through this way, not until we find the real versions of these guys," he gestured to the apparitions, "and beat them."

"No, wait." Rika piped up, turning to face Chaz and then Rune who was now holding his staff in both hands. It looked like he already knew what she was going to ask him. "We've gotten through magic barriers before. Rune? Do you think that the Psycho Wand would work here and now?"

Rune stepped up to the barrier and Rika and Chaz obligingly moved away from him, giving the male esper plenty of room to consider and think. Wren and Kyra were as silent as statues in the background. They all watched as Rune raised his silver staff skyward and made an odd motion with his right hand, a practiced technique that he had learnt hundreds of years ago.

The physical outline of his stave fogged out and shifted before their eyes, before anybody else knew it Rune was holding the Psycho Wand in his hands, mysteriously conjured from the equipment room back on the Landale. There was no doubt that his silver staff had taken the Psycho Wand's place in its storage. Kyra made a small sigh of begrudging admiration, she had only seen a few espers do that in her life and it still looked so cool to her.

He thrust the wand into the illusion and twisted it slightly, like he was turning a key in a very large lock. Perhaps he expected to hear the click of an invisible mechanism opening itself up, but all he heard was nothing, the dull hum of the illusion that was only audible to espers and the magically inclined. It was a failed attempt. Rune pulled the wand away and shook his head in negativity. "It's no use. Whoever it was that put up this barrier has a stronger magical force than this wand. We'll have to find another way around it." And it wasn't the creatures that had placed this barrier, he knew that well. It would probably fall when they were dead, just as Chaz had said, but the illusion field was none other than Lassic's power.

Kyra was understandably nervous. Something that could stop the Lutz in his tracks was a force to be reckoned with. They would all be going up against that force very soon. She looked towards the side of the hallway and upwards a little bit, noticing that there were two levels of balconies hanging just above their heads. But below that and not too far away to the right was another door, and this one wasn't being guarded by anything at all.

It was the only path left for them to take. It was fairly straightforward too, a long winding corridor with a few branches leading off to empty or long vacated chambers. Rune was leading them now, as he had a very rudimentary memory of the Air Castle and the way that it was built. But a memory was only a memory, not as good as a map, and a two thousand year old memory was at best blurred and distorted. Rune had some very clear pictures of his past and the people and events that had taken place back then, but minute technical details like the layout of the of the Air Castle escaped him. If the corridor thickened out into a maze he would be just as clueless as the rest of them.

"This place has changed a lot since I was last here." He admitted as they walked, making conversation. He anticipated Chaz opening his mouth behind him and continued before he could get a sarcastic comment in edgeways. "This castle wasn't destroyed during the Great Collapse because it wasn't attached to Palma or its gravity. It floated in the air atop a great hill."

This interested Rika, who always loved hearing about new things. "So if it was in the air how did you manage to get inside it?" She asked. "You couldn't have used a spaceship because it was already in Palma's atmosphere, right? What did you use? Was it some kind of light aircraft?"

The distant memory caused Rune to smile wistfully. As they went around a bend in the corridor he sighed, not out of any sad or ill-feeling, but because remembering that far back reminded him of just how old he really was, in his head, if not in his heart. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. All of you, not in a thousand years." Rika frowned cutely at not being given a proper answer, Chaz noticed this with a moderate degree of ache in his chest, but Rune just laughed softly and urged them on. Maybe he'd tell them the full story someday, but now was not the time, not when a monster could attack at any given moment.

They continued on their path for another half hour, then Rune's greatest fear haphazardly decided to come true. The party of five, two espers, one android, a numan and a palman walked out of the purple-shaded hallways of the castle and into a large courtyard, blinking at the great increase in light from Algo's sun. When Chaz's eyes came back into focus and the glare was gone he began to see what Rune was already looking at in dismay.

There were many doorways leading out of the open courtyard including the one that they had just emerged from. All the hope that this would be a quick and easy mission fell from his chest straight into his boots. They were clustered on one side of the courtyard, but Rune left the group and took about ten steps forward, glanced about in silent discouragement, then said a particularly foul curse word under his breath. He collected himself then walked back to the others, about to utilize his contingency plan.

"This place has been built to confuse us, to confuse me most of all, I think. I know there's a small room with an arcane symbol drawn on the floor somewhere around here, that would be the best thing to use as a reference point. There are so many different paths to choose from that it'd take forever to search through them one at a time. We ought to pair off and look for that room in teams of two, then at least we can get through this place three times faster than normal. What do you say?"

Rune had asked for their opinions but wasn't prepared to listen to them right now, he was too dead set in his ideas and his ways. The esper reached into a pocket of his green tunic and sorted out a handful of something with his back turned to his party, then whirled around with something very familiar bunched up in his gloved right hand. Chaz recognised them instantly. It was the long coloured matchsticks that they used to draw up their nightly sentry duties when the roster needed reorganizing. Chaz knew where this was going to go and he didn't like the sound of it at all. "Let's draw lots." Rune said, confirming his intent. "I'll go by myself because I think I know where the room already is, but you four each take a partner and a door for yourselves."

"This is most unusual." Wren replied softly, sounding to Chaz that he didn't like the idea any more than the young hunter did. His reasoning would be more logical though, not for some stupid reason like infatuation. Wren was above that. Still, despite that Chaz at least was hoping to be paired with Kyra so that he could avoid both Rika and Wren. The chances were against him but he could still hope.

Rika smiled and reached forward first, intent on drawing the first lot. She wasn't really afraid anymore. They had come this far and there had been no trouble at all. No matter who she was paired with Rika was sure that she'd be able to protect them. "If you get into a situation and need any help, just scream and I'll come running." Slowly she drew from Rune's fist a long matchstick, painted dark red at the tip. Whoever drew a stick of a similar colour would unquestionably be paired up with her.

Chaz knew that he definitely didn't want to be the last one left to pick. He mustered up his courage, looked Rika straight in the eye and grinned. His mouth had suddenly gone as dry as sandpaper but he persevered anyway. "I'm not going to scream, even if something with a hundred fangs and two dozen tentacles is crawling up my leg. I still have my pride." He drew his lot in a quick, fluid movement, the same way as if he were drawing his sword. He wanted to get this part over with before he lost his nerve. Chaz looked at the stick pinched between two of his fingers and let the held-in breath balled up in his lungs escape between his teeth. The match he had drawn had a blue tip. Thank the gods for that.

Kyra put her hands on her hips and bent over to get a good look at the matches in Rune's hand. The esper girl always liked to be lucky last, but her luck always seemed to come through for her in the most dangerous of moments. She had a good feeling about this time. Squinting as though she had x-ray vision, she drew a match and peeped at it in private before showing the others. When she did she had a big smile on her face. The match was red-tipped. "Looks like the ladies go one way and the men go the other way. I hope you boys have some fun."

Rune picked the last blue-tipped match from his hand and crammed it back into his pocket, saving Wren from having to draw the obvious for himself. The android didn't even seem to be very interested, he was staring at a cluster of stars quite visible in the spacious sky. Rune held out his hand again and the other three gave their matches back to him, Chaz included. The hunter hadn't asked for this, but company with Wren was a little better company than with Rika. He didn't have a possible relationship that he could muck up there. As long as the android kept his mouth shut and Chaz did the same, everything would be okay.

The two girls smiled at one another in an incredibly mischievous way, like they were children in the midst of a slumber party. Rika bowed to Kyra and then held a looped arm out for the esper to take, of which Kyra did happily. There was a door to the left of them that didn't seem like much trouble. They would go through there and just hope for the best. "Shall we go, my lady?" Rika asked in an overly deep voice until it broke into a series of short giggles.

Curtseying as well as she could with only one free arm and doing quite a good job of it with her long white cape, Kyra started to giggle herself. "Aye, lets go madam." They wandered away, arm in arm, as happy as could be. Rune rolled his eyes and said something quietly that Chaz could barely hear, something about living to a million and still never being able to understand women. Before both girls were out of sight Kyra looked back and called out to the others; "Take good care of my little brother, okay Wren? I'm counting on you!"

Wren didn't seem to be listening to her but Kyra was satisfied anyway, she and Rika re-entering the Air Castle and disappearing from sight. Upon overhearing the order that Wren 'take care of him', Chaz couldn't help but blush slightly and be forced to remember that night several days ago, when the android had gently helped him with his problems and then had kissed him. Unconsciously Chaz brushed his lips with his fingertips and looked away, towards his new and yet old travelling companion. The compassionate side of Wren wasn't there anymore, if it had ever been there in the first place. The way that he had freaked out over that kiss had definitely frightened it away into the dark.

The reverent Fifth caught and noticed Chaz's strange gesture but chose not to say anything about it, though he already had a pretty good idea on what it meant. He was very close in his assumption, and yet so very, very far off. Rune patted Chaz on the head casually to remind the boy of how pitifully short he was, then he turned away to start walking on his own path. He had a small inkling that the room he was seeking was north, up ahead. He smiled, flashing his teeth. "Remember to scream." He said, then left the two all alone.
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